The dying man’s last wish was to see his son who was in the Marines serving in Iraq. Then one evening a tired and anxious Marine walks up to the man's hospital nurse. Her heart leaps because, finally, the son, her dying elderly patient had been yearning to see, had been able to return from Iraq just in time for his father's last words. Excitedly, she escorts the man to her patient's room. “Your son is here” the nurse says to the man. She had to repeat the words several times before
his eyes opened. He was heavily sedated and only partially conscious. The old man smiled and reached out his hand. The Marine put his fingers around the limp hand and squeezed gently. The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night, the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. But he refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital — the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing and held tightly to his son all through the night. Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding, and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine said to her “Who was that man?” he asked.
The nurse was startled. “He was your father,” she answered.
“No,,” the Marine replied. “The truth is I never saw him before in my life.”
“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”
“I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed. The reason I came here was to see a Mr. William Grey. I was sent to inform him his son was killed in Iraq today. So, who was this gentleman?”
With tears in her eyes, the nurse answered, “Mr. William Grey…”
A priest friend, Lita and I know, sent us this story. Even though it is fictional it conveys such an inspirational message I thought it would be a relief from Corona Virus worries. The original story was titled "Night Watch" and written in 1964 by Roy Popkin. It as featured in the Reader's Digest and since then has been repeated numerous times as well as frequently on the internet. it should remind us about the need for compassion and concern for other people in this time of argument and political name calling. Remember the story the next time you have an opportunity of extending a kindness to someone else.
Skagit County Attorney David Lowell sent an end of the year message as President of the county bar association. He enclosed this story of an experience of Paul William "Bear" Bryant. Bear Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships. Here's the story he repeated about an early experience in his coaching career. I agree with David, there is a valuable lesson here for all of us. Here's how Bryant told the story:
I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player, and I was havin’ trouble finding the place. Getting hungry, I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said ‘Restaurant.’ “I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I’m the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good, so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a T-shirt and cap comes over and says, ‘What do you need?’ “I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, ‘You probably won’t like it here. Today we’re having chitlins, collard greens and black-eyed peas with cornbread. I’ll bet you don’t even know what chitlins (small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the Deep South) are, do you?’ “I looked him square in the eye and said, ‘I’m from Arkansas, I’ve probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I’m in the right place.’
They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, ‘You ain’t from around here, then?’ “I explain I’m the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I’m here to find whatever that boy’s name was and he says, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard of him, he’s supposed to be pretty good.’ And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.“
As I’m paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one, and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should play. “The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I’d been there. I was so new that I didn’t have any yet. It really wasn’t that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I’d get him one. “I met the kid I was lookin’ for later that afternoon and I don’t remember his name, but do remember I didn’t think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought.“
When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn’t forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day, we found a picture and I wrote on it, ‘Thanks for the best lunch I’ve ever had.’
“Now let’s go a whole bunch of years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I’m back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y’all remember, (and I forget the name, but it’s not important to the story), well anyway, he’s got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he’s got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on to see some others while I’m down there.“
Two days later, I’m in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it’s this kid who just turned me down, and he says, ‘Coach, do you still want me at Alabama?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I sure do.’ And he says, ‘OK, I’ll come.’ And I say, ‘Well, son, what changed your mind?’ “He said, ‘When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn’t going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn’t playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y’all met.’
“Well, I didn’t know his granddad from Adam’s house cat, so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, ‘You probably don’t remember him, but you ate at his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he’s had hung in that place ever since. That picture’s his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him.’ “My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and, to Grandpa, that’s everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I’m going to.’
“I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don’t cost nuthin’ to be nice. It don’t cost nuthin’ to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin’ your word to someone. “When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he’s still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn’t have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland proud, and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don’t think I didn’t leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.“
I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they’re out on the road. If you don’t remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn’t cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.”
I have written in the past about people who have played a significant role in my life and to whom I am indebted. Http://www.paulluvera.com/weblog/2010/01/william-h-taylor-anacortes-coach-and-mentor.html.html There have also been significant events that played a major role in my development as a trial lawyer. 2015 seems like an appropriate time to reflect upon my good fortune in this regard. I have had a lot of fortunate events in my life but some are particularly noteworthy.
Through a series of lucky circumstances I somehow ended up at Gonzaga law school in Spokane. After going to law school at night and working for a lawyer during the day, I graduated in 1959. My friend David welts, now deceased, and I were sworn in the same day at the courthouse in Mount Vernon. We were presented to the court by Alford McBee and David's father Robin welts. I couldn't get a job but fortunately Walter Deierlein,the Skagit County prosecuting attorney, hired me as a part-time Deputy at $250 a month. The other deputy was Harry Follman. In the small office building were attorneys Ruben Youngquist, George McIntosh, Jim Hammack and Clyde Fowler who all became my mentors. After working about three years in that capacity Harwood Bannister and Stanley Bruhn proposed forming a partnership and Bannister Bruhn and Luvera came into being in Mount Vernon.
Carabba vs Anacortes School District
The first significant event occurred a few years after the partnership had been formed. Stephen Carabba was a Anacortes senior high school wrestler involved in a wrestling tournament at Anacortes high school. The referee for this meet was Robert Ehrhardt who was a Washington state patrolman in addition to being a high school wrestling referee. Near the end of the third round of the match between Carabba and an Oak Harbor wrestler, his opponent was trying to pin him using a series of alternating half Nelson holds. In the process a full Nelson was applied breaking Caraba's neck and paralyzing him as a result.
The Seattle law firm of Hugh Miracle and Howard Pruzan was hired by Carabba's parents after they had consulted a relative of theirs who was a nationally known plaintiff's attorney in Los Angeles, David Harney.They filed suit in Mount Vernon alleging that the referee had been negligent in looking away from the match while adjusting the mat. The case was defended Robin Welts from Mount Vernon and Tom Lee from Seattle with other Seattle defense lawyers participating as well. The plaintiff's lawyers needed local counsel to sit at counsel table for a local connection. John Carabba, the injured wrestlers father, was a good friend of my father who had a grocery store in Anacortes. Based on John's recommendation the plaintiff's firm asked me to be local counsel. I agreed even though I had graduated from Anacortes high school and the lawsuit was seen as threat to all sports activities at Anacortes. I decided that it was a great learning opportunity and this was a case of merit for plaintiff.
The trial took weeks and was the longest trial in Skagit County's history to that point. It involved 38 witnesses called to testify over twenty days of trial. The visiting trial judge was Stanley Soderland from Seattle who had been a premier plaintiffs lawyer before becoming a judge. During the trial I sat at counsel table with the two plaintiffs lawyers. I had a minimal role to play and was able to concentrate on the trial as a learning experience. I kept a daily journal of things I had observed and heard in the trial. I even photographed what the lawyers had written on the large paper in the courtroom during witness examinations that I thought was a lesson to learn. Hugh Miracle liked to go on a walk every noon hour and I would go with him talking to him about his insight on what was going on. Steve was always ready to explain things to me as well. Even defense counsel would share thoughts about trial tactics with me after hours. Most important the trial judge was willing to let me visit with him in his chambers after hours for his insight about the trial and trial tactics. I was given a perfect seat to observe and participate with great trial lawyers demonstrating their enormous skills both as plaintiffs and defendants in a major contested jury trial. It was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life in learning how to be a plaintiff's trial lawyer.
The verdict, however, was for the school district. Plaintiffs appealed, Carabba vs Anacortes School District 72 Wn 2nd 839 435 P 2nd 936 (1967) The state Supreme Court reversed and ordered a new trial based upon misconduct of defense counsel particularly during final summation. The case was later settled. Steve Carabba and his father have since died.
Inner Circle of Advocates
The second event that played an important role in my development as a trial lawyer was this organization. The inner circle of advocates is an invitation only organization of plaintiff's trial lawyers limited to one hundred of best plaintiff's lawyers in the United States. Membership requirements included jury trial experience with verdicts exceeding one million dollars to be elgible. Founded in 1972 the governing board would review the various states for qualified members. With the entry requirements not many plaintiff lawyers qualified.
Bill Wimberley was an outstanding plaintiff's lawyer in Spokane, Washington and a friend of mine. He and a Great Falls, Montana lawyer, John Hoyt represented a client together. The result was a verdict in the late 1970's for more than one million dollars. As a result of their success and trial experience both were invited to become members.
I had never heard of the organization when I got a call one day from Bill. I had obtained a million dollar plus jury verdict in Washington and Bill felt I qualified. He asked if I would like him to propose me for membership. I asked him what the organization was and how much it would cost and said go ahead and propose me. In 1978 I was invited to become a member and attend the annual meeting to be inducted. However, I didn't bother to go to the meeting that year or the next year. I thought it was just another legal organization and didn't realize who these lawyers were from around the United States. The third year I got a letter pointing out the policy that unless members attended at least one meeting every three years they would be expelled from membership. I either would attend this year or they would expell me from membership. I didn't want to be expelled from a group I had never met so Lita and I flew to the Greensbrier Resort in North Carolina for the annual meeting.
There I was thrilled to meet and talk with great trial lawyers like Bill Colson from Florida ,Phil Corboy from Chicago, Jim Beasley and Gerry Litvin from Philadelphia,James Boccardo from California, Jacob Fuchsberg and Charles Kramer from New York and Bruce Walkkup from California. And these were just a few of the outstanding plaintiff's lawyers around the country. At meetings over the next three days they talked about their verdicts and their ideas about trying jury cases. It was a revelation to me. I was greatly impressed and learned much.
The great gift of this organization was the inspiration generated by results these lawyers were obtaining as well as the realization that the great majority of them were ordinary looking and sounding people. They were not the movie star image of a trial lawyer, but they all had in common one thing and that was great sincerity coupled with being competitive but authentic people. There was a realization that if they could accomplish these results, so could I. In addition, there was the benefit of free sharing of ideas. There was much to learn. This occurred both at the annual meetings and by a frequent exchange of letters among members during the year as this was before the internet and Email.
Early on I was motivated and inspired by my relationship with these great lawyers and their teaching. Needless to say, I didn't miss meetings after that first one and had the privilege of becoming the president of the organization and then serving on the board of directors until my retirement in May of 2014. I owe a debt to this organization.
The Spence Trial College
The third event of significance in my professional life was this organization. In 1994 Gerry Spence founded a college for training lawyers how to be plaintiff trial lawyers. He located it at his Thounderhead Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. He moved a huge barn from a neighboring farm and remodeled the lower half for living quarters with the upper half an open class room with folding chairs. He selected outstanding plaintiff lawyers from around the country to come and teach with him for a few days over a month long course. He advertised the college as limited to plaintiff lawyers and had some forty or more sign up as students.
I had known Gerry and we had had long conversations about trial work. I was pleased he asked me to be one of the instructors the first year the college operated in 1994 and I accepted. However, a jury trial in Portland extended longer than the my scheduled arrival and I had to pass up going. The second year, however, I did attend and continued to attend as an instructor every year thereafter until my retirement in May of 2014.
The experience at the college confirmed my belief that telling the truth was the most powerful force in a jury trial. It confirmed for me that being honest about oneself and one's case was essential to great results. Being real, authentic and sincere was a requirement for a great plaintiff trial lawyer. That was the teaching of the program which was different than anything taught in law schools. The empahsis was not on techneque, but rather on the person. Watching Gerry's demonstrations and listening to his lectures was always an education. One of the best communication teachers in the country is Josh Karton and having the privilege of participating with him at the college was another gift. Psychodrama techniques opened up a whole new way of approaching trial issues. Teaching the students as they participated in different trial skills taught me more than it taught them. Each year was a new experience and one that influenced my professional work.
Gerry and the college had a profound impact on my development as a trial lawyer. It was a gift. I also treasure our time together on our photography travel adventures which was a further education. The college was a special event in my life.
These are the events which played a significant role in my professional life. There are no self made people. We are all indebted in some way to someone or something else. I am grateful for these life events in my life.
Unless you are as old as I am I'll bet you've never heard of "Wrong Way, Corrigan." About 76 years ago, on July 17, 1938 at 5:15 AM a 31 year old pilot, Douglas Corrigan, climbed into the cockpit of his airplane and flew from Brooklyn New York for Los Angeles. At least he had reported before leaving that Los Angeles was his destination that morning. Instead a little after takeoff the plane turned sharply over the Atlantic ocean and disappeared into a cloud bank,the opposite direction of where he was supposed to be going.
Some 28 hours later Corrigan landed his plane at an airfield outside of Dublin Ireland. He told the people who gathered around his airplane: "I just flew from New York. Where am I? I intended to fly to California" It created a sensation as he had crossed the Atlantic alone in a single engine airplane.
The truth was that he had flown from California to Brooklyn a week before leaving that morning. That was a flying record at the time. He decided to try to fly across the Atlantic in the wake of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight. He applied for permission with civil aviation authorities to make the trip to Ireland. They were quick to say no. His airplane was almost homemade, its engine put together from 2 other engines. He had added 5 fuel tanks which blocked his view out the front of the cockpit so he had to open the door, held with bailing wire, in order to see out the side where he was going.
Before he had taken off he had made sure to show his charts for flying across the country, not the ocean and had only a couple of chocolate bars, some cookies and a quart of water. The civilian authorities imposed a suspension of his license in spite of his excuse, but they set it to end about the time he arrived by ship back in the United States,'
Newspaper reporters quickly nicknamed him "Wrong Way, Corrigan" and he was a national hero with a tickertape parade upon returning to the U.S. Later he worked as a test pilot and then owned an orange grove near Los Angeles. Corrigan always insisted that he had simply made a mistake because his compass had jammed and because of the fog which had confused him. Nobody really thought that's what happened.
We also have the case of Roy "wrong way "Riegle. Riegle was an All-American football player and captain of the football team for the University of California. In the January 1, 1929 Rose Bowl game the Golden Bears faced Georgia Tech at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Midway through the 2nd quarter Riegle's, who played center, picked up a fumble just 30 yards away from Georgia Tech's end zone. Somehow he got turned around and begin to run in the wrong direction towards California's goal. The Bears quarterback Benny Lom, chased after him, screaming at him to stop. Lom finally caught up with Riegle's at California's 3 yard line and tried to turn him around but was hit by a wave of Tech players. He was brought down at the California 1 yard line. The Bears punted the ball but Georgia Tech blocked the punt and ran it in for a safety giving them the lead. However, in the 2nd half Riegles played an outstanding game and the Bears won 8-7. Riegle's ability to come out in the 2nd half after such a disastrous event has been cited as an illustration about overcoming setbacks and right attitudes.
That's the story of two wrong way men who were famous in history.
There is a website that has some inspriational stories http://www.thestoreofinspiration.com Here's one that has particular meaning to me at age seventy nine (in February):
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward my basement ham radio shack. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.
Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial-up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles”. I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.
“Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well, but it’s a shame to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital.” He continued, “Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.”
And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.” “You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.”
“Now stick with me Tom, I’m getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail”, he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.”
“So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.”
“Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.”
“Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.”
“It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again.”
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.”
“What brought this on?” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special, it’s just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”
Unknown author
Well, I've collected some notes from different things I've read so I've decided to share them with you as a random ideas for whatever benefit you might get from them. Here they are.
Wisdom from The Movies
Jimmy Stewart played the role of Elwood P Dowd in the 1950 movie, Harvey. Elwood offered up this advice: "in this world, Elwood, you must be – she always called me Elwood – in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."
Tom Hanks, playing the role of Forrest Gump, in the 1994 movie offered this advice: "My mamma always said, Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get."
Strange Coincidences
Abraham Lincoln's son Robert, was in a crowd on a railroad platform in Jersey City in 1864 when he was pressed against cars of the train by all the people. The train suddenly began to move. A stranger reached out and grabbed Lincoln by his coat collar pulling him to safety from death or serious injury. The stranger turned out to be Edwin Booth who was, at the time, one of America's greatest actors. Lincoln recognized him and thanked him,but Booth had no idea who young Lincoln was. A year later Booth's brother, John Wilkes Booth shot young Robert's father, President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.
Dr Wayne Dyer
Dr. Dyer is a well known motivational speaker who has written numerous books. One of them "The Power of Intention" has this to offer about ourselves. He writes about how we define ourselves:
"I am what I have. My possessions define me. I am what I do. My achievements define me. I am what others think of me. My reputation defines me." He argues that these are false definitions of who you really are or should be. He suggests we need overcome the need for more possessions and more of everything with contentment with what we have or actually need. Nor should our lives be driven by the need for more achievement. He argues that we should not let what others think of us become a measurement of who we really are.
He offers advice for what he calls "overcoming ego's hold on you." In part these include:
(1) Stop being offended because it leads to attack, counter attack and war.
(2) Let go of your need to win. The need to win divides everything into winners and losers. The opposite of winning is not losing. There is an attitude and state of contentment without having to win every argument and competition.
(3) Let go of your need to be right. A lot of conflict and dissension comes from the ego's need to be right every time and in all discussion or argument. Sticking to the need to be right interferes with relationships and your happiness
(4) Let go of the need to be superior. The need of the ego to be better than other people is a source of conflict and peace of mind.
I am always moved by stories about couples who were so close to one another during life that they die within a short time of one another. Last night, on the NBC News, there was the story of a couple who fell in love in high school married and lived together for a very long time. When one died the other died within several days. I was reminded of the story that was in the be news last year. It was a story about about a couple who'd been married for many years. Gordon Yeager and his wife Norma were born in Iowa. During the depression 16-year-old Gordon went to work at the Chevrolet garage in the small town where he lived. There he met and fell in love with Norma who was still in high school. He proposed and they were married on the day she graduated from high school, May 26, 1939.
It was the depression so the wedding was small and held in the evening in the home of Gordon's sister with the expenses covered by Gordon's first paycheck. Later, Gordon found work in California where they moved and he worked as a welder in the shipyards. After the war, they returned to the town where they had met in Iowa. They had four children. Gordon eventually took over the Chevrolet garage business with his brother Roger, where Gordon had worked as a young boy. His wife was the bookkeeper. The children remember the parents poring over the books until 2 AM in the morning.When they retired they would spend half the year in Tucson Arizona.
One of the children remembered that his father would often say "I have to stick around. I can't go until she does because I have to stay here for her and she would say the same thing." Then one tragic Wednesday, when Gordon was 94 and Norma was 90, they were driving to town. Gordon mistakenly pulled out to pass and the on coming driver could not avoid the collision. They were taken to the hospital and put in the intensive care unit in beds where they lay side-by-side. Although barely responsive, they locked hands. The children say they were never separated and held hands continuously. The afternoon of the accident, at 3:38 PM, Gordon died, with his family beside him and his wife in the bed next to him. They were still holding hands when his heart stopped beating, yet his heart monitor continued beeping. The nurse checked and found that the monitor was recording Norma's heartbeat since they were still locked in a hand grasp. But, exactly one hour after Gordon died, at 4:48 PM, Norma died too.
At their funeral they were still together, sharing the same casket. They left surviving the children along with 14 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren. They left behind an extraordinary love story of a couple married for 72 years and who were just as united in death.
I came across the following at http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/schulzphilosophy.htm and it made me smile plus it was inspirational. So, I’m taking the liberty of sharing it with you. Give the credit to Roger Knapp.
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read this straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schulz)
Today, January 24th, is the annversary of the death of a great coach and mentor to me, William Taylor. Many of us can point to one person or perhaps several people who played significant roles in our life. People who made the difference at a tipping point in our lives. Someone whose words or actions changed our attitude and the direction of our life for the better. For me, after my parents, it is a short list of those who had a very significant influence on my life. It includes a third grade teacher, a high school basketball coach, a Catholic priest and several trial lawyers. The third grade teacher, Mrs. Marshall, always saw the good in me even in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary. Fr. William Dooley was the chaplin at the the Newman Center at the University of Washington in 1953 when I started college. His spiritual guidance during a time of some confusion was very instrumental in the direction my life took. Robin Welts was a great trial lawyer in Mount Vernon where Alfred McBee also a trial lawyer. They were both legal mentors to me in my early career. Each played an important role in moving me forward in the right direction.
But, one person played a truly pivotal role at a critical time in my life, my high school basketball coach Bill Taylor. For whatever reason, he took an interest in me and encouraged me to believe I could be a basketball player. He then became my example of what a decent person and leader should act like when I was in the 8th grade.
William H. Taylor was born March 11, 1922. He died January 24, 2002 in Anacortes, Washington at 79 years of age. He was a great natural athlete who played baseball and basketball for the University of Washington He graduated from the University of Washington in 1949. He flew fighters in the Navy and eventually became my high school basketball and baseball coach in Anacortes. The town had always been a basketball town very much like the one portrayed in the movie Hoosiers about a high school team in Indiana and the town's devotion to basketball.
Richard "Boots" Wooten had coached winning teams at Walla Walla, Sequim, Mt Rainier and Anacortes. He started the tradition of basketball madness in Anacortes. With Boots as the coach basketball became a town obsession by producing winning teams that went to State Tournaments. Our small gym filled to overflowing with spectators standing along the out of bounds line. The town emptied when the team played away and there was a parade of cars following the team bus to the out of town games. The town lived basketball.
Bill Taylor became the new coach after Boots left. He had big shoes to fill and carried on the tradition of winning teams. His high school teams won 212 games and lost only 56 during his coaching from 1946 to 1960. Taylor’s teams went to the state tournaments. Two years in a row his teams made appearances at the Washington State Basketball tournament and both were against Lincoln of Seattle. The second year both teams were undefeated and the game was watched by the largest crowd in the history of Heck Edmundson Pavilion with 3,000 people shut out wanting to get inside. Anacortes lost both years to Lincoln, but the Anacortes fans turned out in force to welcome them home anyway. His record of winning was so good he was named to the High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
However, what made Bill Taylor outstanding was not just his coaching ability, but his character and the role model he became for students, especially those of us who played for him. He was a man of principle. When he disciplined a player whose relative was a political force on the school board, pressure was applied to change his decision, but he didn’t budge. Taylor was a model of a professional. He remained calm on the bench and prohibited any kind of un-sportsman like conduct by his players. He was known for his civility, sportsmanship, discipline and character. He always acted as professional on the bench during games and demanded his players do the same.
When I was in the 7th and 8th grade I wanted to play basketball for Anacortes. I attended all the games and my hero's were Anacortes basketball players. I wasn't very good at basketball, my grades were poor and I was getting into trouble in a lot of ways. I don't know if my dad put him up to it or not, but when I was in the 8th grade Bill made it a point to find me and tell me he thought I had potential as a basketball player, even though I was on the bench my 7th and 8th grade years. He said I needed to practice and especially bring my grades up. He took me to the gym and showed me what shots he wanted me to work on. He told me to shoot 25 times every day from the positions he gave me on the floor. I had dad install a hoop at home and practiced even after dark with the garage lights on. I was very determined to become the player Taylor said I could become. All summer and kept it up. He encouraged me, gave me a purpose and got me going in a different direction.
I did make the high school team. My jersey number was eighty eight because that was the jersey number of one of my hero's Jack Symonds, who later died in an airplane crash in Alaska. I was captain my senior year plus led the scoring for the team which wasn't one of Bill's best teams.
However, making the team wasn't the most significant change Bill was responsible for. He was also was an adviser to the high school Key Club organized under the Kiwanis club. It was intended to teach leadership and community responsibility. Bill got me involved in Key Club. One year he took me and others to the 1952 Pacific Northwest District Convention in Auburn, Washington. As club representative, I gave a talk at the convention and before the convention was over I had somehow been elected the Regional Key Club Governor. This was the first time a Governor had been elected from our district and the first from Anacortes. It was so unexpected that I had to borrow a sports coat from the father of the host family I was staying with. By coincidence his son, Norman Roberts and I ended up in the same class at Gonzaga Law School. In fact, it wasn't until a young woman at Anacortes was elected in 2002 that another Governor was elected from our district so this was a big deal for me thanks to Bill Taylor.
I went to the 9th annual convention of Key Club International in Chicago, held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in June of 1952 where I gave a talk to the huge crowd. I remember the National President was Ted Vestal from Sherman, Texas.The position of Governor required me to give speeches around the state at service clubs, key clubs and different organizations. Bill helped me develop a speaking skill and encouraged me. We held the first ever Pacific Northwest District Convention in Anacortes which I chaired with Bill's guidance and continued encouragement. As a result of my election I was required to give talks to Key Clubs and groups in the area. I developed confidence in speaking and an enjoyment of being in front of an audience. My senior year I was elected student body president of my high school and commencement speaker at graduation thanks to Bill Taylor's influence on me. All of this because Bill Taylor took the time to encourage me. I am convinced that as a result of this experience I decided to attend law school. This was all due to Bill Taylor taking an interest in me and his encouragement.
Lita and I are proud of having created the William H. Taylor Scholarship fund with the Anacortes Noon Kiwanis Club for Anacortes high school students. Students exhibiting leadership, scholarship and involvement in student as well as community affairs are given college scholarship awards. We also contribute to the Anacortes Hospital Foundation in the name of Bill's wife Dorothy "Ho" Taylor all done in gratitude for the gift given to me by William Taylor
My life story is one of an encounter with man of high principle who encouraged me in the right direction at a significant time in my life resulting in my life turning in the right direction at a critical time. This is in honor of William H. Taylor, great coach, mentor and man of high character.
There is a nonprofit organization, Ted Talks, that posts videos of talks by people in different fields.
http://www.ted.com/talks One of them is by John Wooden, fomer UCLA basketball coach. Here's an excerpt from his talk.
You know a number of years ago, there was a Major League Baseball umpire by the name of George Moriarty. He spelled Moriarty with only one "i". I'd never seen that before, but he did. Big league baseball players --they're very perceptive about those things, and they noticed he had only one "i" in his name.You'd be surprised how many also told him that that was one more than he had in his head at various times.
But he wrote something that I think he did while I tried to do in this pyramid. He called it "The Road Ahead or The Road Behind"
"Sometimes I think the Fates must grin as we denounce them and insist the only reason we can't win, is the Fates themselves that miss.Yet there lives on the ancient claim:we win or lose within ourselves. The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow's game. You and I know deeper down, there's always a chance to win the crown. But when we fail to give our best,we simply haven't met the test, of giving all and saving none until the game is really won.
Of showing what is meant by grit.Of playing through when others quit.Of playing through, not letting up.It's bearing down that wins the cup.
Of dreaming there's a goal ahead Of hoping when our dreams are dead.Of praying when our hopes have fled.Yet losing, not afraid to if bravely we have given all. For who can ask more of a manthan giving all within Giving all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory.And so the fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind.It's you and I who make our fates we open up or close the gates on the road ahead or the road behind."